It is a scientist's reward: after feeding a laboratory mouse an untried medicine, or turning it into a cocaine addict, or flashing lights at it, the rodent appears to get smarter, or slower, or more discerning. Do it a hundred times, and you have got a research paper - or a billion-pound drug. But what if the mouse, in the bleak, confined circumstances of its laboratory cage, has gone quietly insane before the experiment even begins?

I've worked quite a bit in neuroregeneration, particularly after stroke, and the impact of activity and stress upon brain-healing can be significant. Now I am working in brain tumor, and I'd guess you might even see effects there. I have seen a lot of evidence to suggest that disparate organs can have significant effects upon each other. I've often wondered about this, but one of the limiting factors is money. It is expensive to house animals.

Cancer is influenced by its microenvironment, yet broader, environmental effects also play a role but remain poorly defined. We report here that mice living in an enriched housing environment show reduced tumor growth and increased remission. We found this effect in melanoma and colon cancer models, and that it was not caused by physical activity alone.

-That's an environmental affect (namely, one that stimulates mental activity) upon tumor progression. Cell is a very difficult journal to get into, so it's very likely that there is something behind this study.

The correlation between science populism and actual research is abysmal. If I could have the ears of the NSF and the NIH, I would chew them the fuck out. Every day incredible insights are made public, and what we get is "Maybe eating chocolate is good/bad for you again!"

It's a fucking travesty. Science funding and support for it could be twice its current rate with a solid 10-year campaign of getting results to the people.

As as far as these particular findings? My guess is some bloke at the AP hasn't yet heard from a science-type pal that this stuff is really neat. It's a damn shame too. "Could crosswords cure colon cancer?" is a fucking clickthru goldmine.

Sorry this stuff gets me going.

EDIT: Holy shit, did you see that alliteration?! 5 c's! I swear that was unintentional.